BOOK BLURB: Requiem (Delirium #3)

Requiem

Author:  Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

Number of Pages: 391

Date Published: March 5, 2013

Goodreads:

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.
We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

***

Thoughts:

I was both excited and worried to read the third and final installment of Lauren Oliver’s Delirium Trilogy due to the mixed reviews I have been reading. Many have expressed their negative feelings toward the book. And though there are also a number of people who really liked Requiem, it cannot be denied that of the three books in the series, it has the lowest average rating on Goodreads.

What makes Requiem different from the first two books is that it was told in both Lena and Hana’s point of view. Lauren Oliver lets readers hear the voice of two very different people who are worlds apart: Lena, struggling and trying to survive in the Wilds; and Hana, trying to figure out life after being cured. Just like in Pandemonium, she wonderfully made both ends meet.

BOOK BLURB: Annabel (Delirium #0.5)

Annabel by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads:

Lena's mother, Annabel, has always been a mystery—a ghost in Lena's past. Until now.

Discover her secrets in Lauren Oliver's brilliant original digital story set in the world of New York Times bestsellers Delirium and Pandemonium.

Lena Halloway's mother, Annabel, supposedly committed suicide when Lena was only six years old. That's the lie that Lena grew up believing, but the truth is very different. As a rebellious teenager, Annabel ran away from home and straight into the man she knew she was destined to marry. The world was different then—the regulations not as stringent, the cure only a decade old. Fast forward to the present, and Annabel is consigned to a dirty prison cell, where she nurtures her hope of escape and scratches one word over and over into the walls: Love.

But Annabel, like Lena, is a fighter. Through chapters that alternate between her past and present, Annabel reveals the story behind her failed cures, her marriage, the births of her children, her imprisonment, and, ultimately, her daring escape.

***

Date Read: January 8, 2013
Rating: 3 stars

Who is Annabel apart from being Lena's mother? What really happened to her? And why did the cure not work?

I was hoping all those questions would be answered upon reading this short story, if not clearly, then atleast give readers a hint, because is all about Annabel Haloway. Sadly, my questions weren't completely answered.

Here, Annabel was portrayed with many different faces - a rebellious and reckless teenager (I love her like this!), a strong and passionate woman, and a very loving mother (So sweet and kind, like a mother should love). It was all there. A brief story about her past and how she met Conrad Haloway, which was disappointing by the way. Nothing really much happened to them. But there were still some parts I found cute, though lacking in some ways.

Included also were the days of being imprisoned in the Crypts and the escape of Anabel, which weren't really that exciting at all.

Now, why wasn't she really cured? I still don't know. I'm still hoping this will be answered in the 3rd book.

That's it, I guess. 3 stars :) A bit disappointed because I expected more.

The "Then" and "Now" chapters are back! :D

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BOOK BLURB: Before I Fall

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

***

Date Read: September 10, 2012

Sam Kingston and her friends are the popular girls in school and they get away with most of the things they do. They skip classes, make fun of people, etc... the usual bitchy stuff. Yes, they are definitely annoying and frustrating to the point that you'd want to hit each one of them on their heads. But when Sam dies one night and wakes up on the same day for the next seven days, she eventually gets a better look of everything around her.

Simple words cannot describe how I feel about this book. If you have ever read any of my rants about books, I usually say that a great book makes you feel a lot of things. And yes, I felt so many different emotions while reading Before I Fall. I felt annoyed, a little disgusted, pity, sorrow, and a bit of thrill. It made me furious at some point, but eventually, it touched my heart and I know it will leave a mark there. But most of all, I felt the love - the love for family, the love for friends and finding the love from someone who's really worth it.

The story, I think, is realistic (or atleast close to reality). I really find the idea of waking up for seven days on the last day of your life intriguing (not really the word I'm aiming for). Somehow, it makes you think of the possibility of that idea. What if that's how death or dying really works out? You repeat your last day over and over again until realization and acceptance hits you. Generally, it's not a depressing story about life and death (which I thought it was before). For me, I guess it's about  how you come to see yourself through others. It's hard to explain, but I guess that's how a great book leaves you - at a loss for words. :)

Before I end this simple pseudo-review, I just need to say that I love Kent! *I don't know if the succeeding sentences will count as a spoiler. Please just read with caution. Hahahaha...* He is such a wonderful guy and I kinda hate Sam for ignoring him all those years. But atleast her real senses came back and she finally sees Kent for the first time in years. I always get those tingles in my stomach when Kent and Sam have their moments. Awww...:)

There! So much love for Before I Fall. I felt satified with everything. It started and ended just right. FIVE MAGNIFICENT STARS! :)

*By the way, I love the seventh day! :)

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teepee J

BOOK BLURB: Pandemonium (Delirium #2)

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

***

Date Read: June 11, 2012

Reaction while reading the last two pages: "OH MY GAAAAAWD!" (while pulling my hair)

Initial reaction after reading: "F*CK!!!" (I don't swear a lot. I promise. But that's just what I felt saying/screaming after reading the last word in the book.)

I would have given this book FIVE STARS just for blowing my mind off at the end. But all in all, Pandemonium's 375 pages seemed to drag on and felt longer than Delirium's 480. I liked it a lot, even though I read it with less enthusiasm and excitement, but equal anticipation, than Delirium.

Well, the only downside I could think of is that the second book introduced a "Then and Now" way of reading, with the past (after Lena ran away from Portland) and present alternating chapter after chapter. At first, I found it a bit difficult getting into my reading mode because it's a little hard for me to recall some of the events from previous chapters of a different setting (and because it's new to me). But as I read on, it became easier. The "Now" chapters are far more interesting than the "Then" chapters. Maybe that's why they alternated the chapters, to keep the readers going.

The second book is quite at the opposite end of the first one -- new characters, new setting, etc... A new Lena emerges. The story is more action-packed and more intriguing as you continue nearing the end. What interests me the most, though, is Julian.

If you have been scouring the internet for Pandemonium reviews or other related things, it may not be a surprise to you that there's a new guy in the scene. In Delirium, after her escape, Lena has been shattered and heartbroken because Alex got left behind, got caught between the cruel hands of the government. Then, in Pandemonium, her path gets tangled with the Mayor's son Julian. (That's it. No more spoiling.)

Julian? Alex? I love Alex! But let me tell you this: I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO CONFUSED IN MY WHOLE BOOK-READING LIFE! Usually, there's always a certain guy I am rooting for in love triangles and I stick with that guy 'til the end. But Julian and Alex? Urghhh!

Aside from that, I like how Lena grew in Pandemonium. She's stronger and tougher, and in a way, more independent and smarter. Lena has renewed herself as she tried to bury her past. She has new found friends and a new life.

To sum it all up, I guess the book deserves five stars. But you know, I'm a little devil inside (sometimes), so I'll give it 4.5. The beginning of the book was okay. Nothing really happened much. Some fighting, action, and romance in the middle, then, BOOM! IT ENDS WITH A BLOW. :)

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teepee J

BOOK BLURB: Hana (Delirium #1.5)

Hana by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

Lauren Oliver's riveting, original digital story set in the world of her New York Times bestseller Delirium.

The summer before they're supposed to be cured of the ability to love, best friends Lena and Hana begin to drift apart. While Lena shies away from underground music and parties with boys, Hana jumps at her last chance to experience the forbidden. For her, the summer is full of wild music, dancing—and even her first kiss.

But on the surface, Hana must be a model of perfect behavior. She meets her approved match, Fred Hargrove, and glimpses the safe, comfortable life she’ll have with him once they marry. As the date for her cure draws ever closer, Hana desperately misses Lena, wonders how it feels to truly be in love, and is simultaneously terrified of rebelling and of falling into line.

In this digital story that will appeal to fans of Delirium and welcome new admirers to its world, readers will come to understand scenes from Delirium through Hana's perspective. Hana is a touching and revealing look at a life-changing and tumultuous summer.

***

Date Read: June 7, 2012

Lena and Hana's friendship once drifted apart. Both of them pulled to the opposite ends of the road by their conflicting beliefs. We knew how Lena felt about that, and this book told us how Hana felt.

Hana is said to be prettier and bubblier than Lena. She's the carefree rule-breaker, the risk-taker, the girl who goes to underground parties and listens to illegal music. She hates the feeling of being watched and monitored all the time. She wants to feel free and to fly high. She's the exact opposite of Lena, who's afraid of breaking the rules and is very eager to get cured immediately. But beneath her eccentric personality lies her true self.

The story showed how scared and vulnerable she was. I actually felt sorry for her, though there were times I felt a little annoyed that her hormones were completely screwed up. Hahahaha.. Or maybe not. I like how she and Lena ended up. They're still best friends, but something has changed.

And this line...
"I'm sorry, Lena."
...this broke my heart. :(

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teepee J

BOOK BLURB: Delirium (Delirium #1)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

THEY SAY that the cure for Love will make me happy and safeforever. And I've always believed them. Until now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected
with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

***

Date Read: May 19, 2012

I'm still finding the right words to describe how I felt after reading this book. I actually thought I wouldn't like it that much. I thought it will be just some sappy story about love. But it wasn't. I think it's much more than that. And there were a lot of things in the book that actually got me thinking hard. It really got me, the plot and the characters and all the other stuff in between. Now, I guess I have to admit that my first impression was definitely wrong. I loved it. It's a smart book.

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teepee J